


Farewells

by deathmarkedlove_archivist



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-01-29
Updated: 2007-01-29
Packaged: 2019-01-31 23:24:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12692334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deathmarkedlove_archivist/pseuds/deathmarkedlove_archivist
Summary: Post "The Body". Buffy runs into Spike at the cemetery. G





	Farewells

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Hils, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Death-Marked Love](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Death-Marked_Love). To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in June 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [the Death-Marked Love collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/deathmarkedlove/profile).
> 
> Author: Miranda  
> Keywords: Buffy/Spike, schmoop  
> Rating: G  
> Spoilers: The Body

Everyone insisted there was no need for her to return to patrolling three days after Joyce’s funeral, but anything beat sitting at home, listening for a footstep she would never hear again. Buffy left Dawn with Willow and Tara and headed for the cemetery with something like relief. She might not be able to defeat an aneurysm or breathe life back into her mother, but she could stake a vampire.

Speaking of which, at least Spike hadn’t been around. She was actually a little surprised he hadn’t tried to ‘comfort’ her.

“Guess I shouldn’t look gift absent vampires in the mouth,” she muttered. “Or something like that.”

Patrol was quiet, which was both good and bad. Buffy knew that she wasn’t focused enough to fight at her peak, but she longed for something huge and fierce to show up and take her mind off her almost overwhelming pain.

It was very late when she found her feet carrying her inevitably toward the section of the cemetery containing her mother’s marker. She and Dawn had refused to bury Joyce where so many monsters walked, opting instead for cremation and keeping the ashes at home where they were safe. No one would use parts of their mother for spell casting. They had, however, set up a simple memorial stone with Joyce’s name and the dates of her birth and death.

As she rounded one of the crypts, she stopped and frowned, listening. Voices. Or one voice, talking in a soft monotone. Cautiously, she moved forward and looked around the side of the crypt.

Spike was seated on the ground and leaning on Joyce’s headstone, holding a conversation apparently with himself.

Buffy’s first furious impulse was to attack, sure that Spike was planning some desecration of her mother’s headstone. But something about his stillness, the expression of quiet sadness he wore, stopped her. She cocked her head a little, trying to hear what he was saying.

“So, then – you’d have liked this one – Isabel and Amanda get into a huge cat-fight over Brad. Both of them swearing that she’s the one he really loves, and the other one’s just a wicked old Jezebel. Meanwhile, Brad’s chatting up Polly, who’s Doug’s daughter, if you’ll remember, which makes Polly very likely to be Brad’s half-sister. And… oh, hell.” His voice fell away and he lit a cigarette with shaking hands, dragging the smoke into his lungs.

A painfully clear vision of Joyce, breathlessly watching the latest installment of one of her many soap operas while she ignored her daughters’ teasing, swept over Buffy. Joyce had said something about Spike liking them too. They had driven Dawn crazy while  
hiding out in his crypt.

“I was beginning to think it would be a good thing if Glory attacked, because at least I wouldn’t have to hear about Passions anymore,” she’d said to Buffy.

A bird flew up from the grass almost at her feet and she jumped. Spike’s head whipped around, and unerringly found Buffy where she stood in the shadows of the crypt.

He scowled at her, caught somewhere between embarrassment and anger. As for Buffy, she didn’t know how she felt. On the one hand, this was, after all, Spike. On the other, Joyce’s death had obviously affected him.

“Don’t fret, Slayer,” Spike said, rising to his feet. “I’ll be on my way.”

“No,” Buffy said. Without realizing she had reached a decision, she stepped from the shadows to face him more clearly in the moonlight. “What happened next?”

He shook his head, not understanding. “What are you talking about?”

“The fight. What happened to Isabel and Amanda?”

“Right,” Spike said in obvious disbelief. “Like you care about a stupid TV show.”

Deliberately she walked to the headstone, sat, and looked up at him. “I do care,” she said. “I really want to know. Please. Tell me.”

They stared at each other for a long moment, then slowly, warily, Spike sat next to her.

He cleared his throat and warned, “I’ll have to back up, or you won’t have any idea what’s going on.”

Buffy nodded.

“See, Amanda and Isabel grew up as next door neighbors and were best friends until…”

The End


End file.
